In some computing systems, users may require large files, such as databases, text files, HyperText Markup Language (HTML) files, images, and the like. These files, which may be classified as read-only when accessed by a plurality of users, may require duplication when each of the read-only users require a modification to the original file. Thus, rather than having a single file stored for the plurality of users, one or more duplicate files may be generated for each of the users, allowing the users to edit the original file as they deem necessary. However, as each of the users requires a copy of the original file, storage space for the computing system may suffer, as data is duplicated one or more times from the original file.
In addition to traditional files such as the text, database, and HTML files stated above, some computing systems and file systems may process sparse files. A sparse file is a type of computer file that attempts to use file system space more efficiently while the file itself is mostly empty. This is achieved by writing brief information or metadata representing the empty blocks in the file to disk instead of the actual “empty” space that makes up the block. Accordingly, only portions of the file that include data would need to be written to the storage device, saving space on the disk and processing resources to write all of the blocks for the file.